Matt Taven, when he won the Northeast Wrestling championship the first time. Photo courtesy Steve Credo Media.

OK, I’m back. It’s been a while. More on that at the end.

Northeast Wrestling’s Wrestling Under the Stars IV card takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday at Fishkill’s Dutchess Stadium. If you missed it online, here is my story on the show, which also touches on the big business that pro wrestling is, especially in the Hudson Valley.

For the story, I spoke to NEW champion Matt Taven (who defends Saturday against Warbeard Hanson), Matt Hardy (who faces Caleb Konley) and NEW president Michael Lombardi of New Windsor, who really has some terrific things happening with his promotion. Here’s a few snippets from Matt Taven, which did not make it into my story, which also runs as the Enjoy! cover story in Friday’s Poughkeepsie Journal. I’ll be back with more from Matt Hardy later.

MATT TAVEN

On Northeast Wrestling’s success in presenting huge cards…

“With Northeast Wrestling, they have a reputation that kind of speaks for itself. Michael does great work and I’m excited to do that show. The wrestlers know that Michael Lombardi really gets out there and spreads the word and that’s a big thing in wrestling. He’s does a good job letting people know that these stars are around right in their backyard.”

On wrestling in a baseball stadium…

“Personally, I’ve been other shows in big, open stadiums like that and whether it’s just the setup or the lack of attendance or a lack of advertising, it can be pretty cavernous. One side is full and you turn around, and you’re looking at no one. It can be pretty disappointing. These shows speak for themselves. We’ve packed those houses and the word spreads around. Like, ‘wow, this actually looks like a baseball stadium.’ A wrestling show trying to run a baseball stadium, no disrespect, it’s a hard gig to do. Baseball stadiums aren’t really the best for wrestling shows. NEW has been doing it so long, so many times, that they’ve figured out the way to fill the place and make it look like a wrestling show.”

What he is looking most forward to about Friday’s NEW show…

“A lot of these guys on the card I’ve been able to see wherever I go and it’s like my old buddies getting back together. I don’t see Samoa Joe. I don’t get to see him much. Me, personally, Rey Mysterio is someone I’ve looked up to since I first saw him in WCW in 1996 when I was 11 years old. He’s not a person I get to see too often in person so that’s definitely something that’s exciting for me. That’s my personal highlight of the event.”

How did you get hooked up with New Japan? What has that opportunity been like?

“Ring of Honor and New Japan have had a growing relationship. New Japan came over to the U.S. and you just get in front of the right people. It just so happened that things worked out. They knew of Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis and Adam Cole and all of us got together and formed the faction. We were in the World Tag League, which was funny because it was quite an opportunity for us, but me and Mike had only tagged together a couple of times before that. We’d known each other since starting wrestling. The World Tag League in the first place was a career goal, but me and Mike had to figure each other out as a team.”

On the differences between wrestling in the U.S. and wrestling in Japan…

“It’s extremely different. It’s not the catcalling and the non-stop crowd interaction. For me, it was almost a throwback from when I started. I was trying to pull off all my old tricks and doing things that would make me stand out to those people, but I realized I was dealing with a quiet crowd that doesn’t know who I am. I had to remember that me and Mike were there for a reason and it was for our style and who we are. I didn’t need to break too far away from what I was doing. There were times where I would normally interact in a certain way, but the people didn’t know what I was saying. In the end, we learned a few things, how to work that style and it molded us as we picked up on the intricacies. I’ve been fortunate enough to really expand my bookings. I’ve gone to England, Japan and all over the country.”

On the changing face of the industry (emergence of NXT, ROH getting TV, groups like NEW and HOH putting on huge successful shows)…

“Two years ago, I said it was the golden age of the indies. I think I was a little bit ahead of myself because it was actually before the time to actually say it. Now it looks like it is the golden age of the indies. You see stuff like NXT, which is a direct answer to the indie movement, WWE’s version of the indie movement. Every place that draws a good crowd is another good thing for all the wrestlers because there’s so much talent there. It’s not like it was with WWE and WCW, where there were two major entities to pick up those guys. Especially for us ROH guys, seeing the rise of ROH, NEW and HOH, the rise of all these groups. There are talented guys who may not have WWE contracts. The more places people have to display their talents and make a living off it, the better it is for wrestling in general. There’s plenty of people I’ve seen who have just had to leave it behind because they were not able to feed families and feed themselves. That looks like it’s all been growing and getting better and now these guys can actually make money, feed their families and make a living off (wrestling). The more companies, the better. Isn’t it weird that we have two wrestling shows on Destination America now? If every wrestling company was on TV, I would love it.

On how social media and modern technology have changed wrestling…

“Social media has changed the game for better and for worse. Guys really have to watch themselves. At the same time, anyone with a keyboard and a Twitter account thinks they are an expert. It’s given a lot of people and companies that exposure through social media. PWG (Pro Wrestling Guerrilla) is one of the biggest indie companies. Before social media, people didn’t know of them too much. But with social media, YouTube, getting highlights out, this is the golden age of the indies. Maybe we don’t have a national audience, but through Facebook, you can get people to watch stuff and spread the word. You keep up with the trend or you die with the dinosaurs. That quick YouTube video of you, that quick little gif of you, that spreads around.

On NEW’s more intimate shows in Bethany, Connecticut…

“I think NEW’s shows in Bethany are the East Coast version of PWG at the moment. It’s got a smaller, more intimate atmosphere and a packed house. You feel like you’re in Madison Square Garden. You’ve got people on top of you and those people are passionate. If you don’t check out NEW in Bethany, you are doing yourself a disservice. It’s without a doubt one of my favorite places to be in. The Bethany crowd, itself, knows its wrestling, and it makes that building extremely special.

Note from Phil: Welcome back to Under the Ring. To make a long story extremely short, I have a new position at the Poughkeepsie Journal, which was a very positive move for me, but has prevented me from keeping up on wrestling the way I used to be able to. I hope to at least be back 3 or 4 times a week. It won’t be show recaps. I plan on giving two or three observations on topics and then seeing where it goes from there. Stay tuned.

Collector’s Realm inside Dutchess Marketplace, at Dutchess Mall, 461 Route 9 in Fishkill is hosting WWE Hall of Famer, New York Times best-selling author and former three-time WWE champion Mick Foley for autographs and photo-ops for $15 apiece from noon to 2 p.m.

The flier for the event also includes a mention that there will be a visit from a close, personal friend of the Hardcore Legend. Not to be Ebenezer Scrooge, but I know Mr. Foley loves Christmas and named one of his children after Christmas, so I am thinking his friend might have a white beard, white hair and wear red. Just my thought.

This week’s show opened on a very, very unhappy Evolution after their loss to The Shield at WWE Payback. He said it was not over with The Shield until “they exist no longer.” While this is going on, the crowd is chanting CM Punk and “Bluteista.” Batista made it clear, however, that he didn’t want to face The Shield again, but wanted the championship match he was promised, and he wanted it tonight. Triple H reminded him that Daniel Bryan is on the injured list and he cannot wrestle.Batista responded…by quitting…much to the crowd’s delight. In reality, Batista has a movie to promote so he will likely be gone for a while.

On the WWE App, Tom Phillips caught up with Batista who said he was sick of empty promises and has received nothing he was promised since his return.

The match ended with Cesaro’s manager, Paul Heyman, taking Cesaro backstage when it looked like his team was going to lose. Sheamus picks up the win on Barrett after a Brogue Kick.

On the WWE App, Damien Sandow was in an Indiana Pacers jersey and said he was going to address the state of his team.

Sandow came out under the name “Lance Stephenson”…what the? Anyway, he was mocking the Pacers when Big Show came out. He gave Show the ball and dared him to try to score. Show threw the ball into Sandow’s stomach, gave him a WMD, then took the ball back and put it through the hoop.

On the WWE App, Kofi Kingston said Stephanie McMahon sent Kane to attack him last night at Payback due to opinions he expressed over her treatment of Daniel Bryan.

Next was another attempt at a match between Bo Dallas and Kofi Kingston. Dallas picked up the win with a “bo-dog” (think bulldog).

Backstage, Renee Young talked to Stephanie McMahon who said she was about to go to the ring and make a big announcement as it relates to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

On the WWE App, we were taken back to WrestleMania IV in Indianapolis when Andre the Giant beat Hulk Hogan for the WWE World Heavyweight Title only to try to relinquish it to Ted DiBiase.

Stephanie McMahon made her way to the ring and continued to make her point that Daniel Bryan can’t compete and so he should have given up the WWE title. John Cena came out and gave Stephanie a “job evaluation” and said she “sucked”. Stephanie then made the match of John Cena vs. Kane. The match started on the WWE App and continued on TV. Kane got himself disqualified when he continued to pummel Cena in the corner past the ref’s count of five. After the match, Cena and Kane brawled and Cena picked up the steel steps and threw them at Kane before the refs directed him backstage.

Backstage, Randy Orton said Batista took his ball and went home but he and Triple H are still 100 percent and that he has a match later in the evening against Roman Reigns.

On the WWE App, Nikki Bella was giving an interview about what it was like backstage for her without her sister there when she was interrupted by Stephanie McMahon who told her her match has been changed to a handicap match against Aksana and Alicia Fox.

The next match is Los Matadores vs. 3MB. Los Matadores picked up the win.

Next was the Divas handicap match. Alicia Fox picked up the win with what was supposed to be a scissors kick.

Next is Jack Swagger vs. Adam Rose. For some reason, Adam Rose got the win with the Party Foul. Sorry guys. Not a fan.

Next was an awesome match between The Wyatt Family, minus Bray Wyatt, against the Usos. The Wyatt’s got the win but neither team really lost this. This win by Rowan and Harper no doubt puts them in the WWE tag team title picture.

On the WWE App, they previewed the next episode of WWE Countdown that looks at factions.

Next was Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio in a qualifying match for the Money in the Bank ladder match. I’m disappointed to say Del Rio got the win with his cross arm breaker. I really, really wanted Ziggler to get this one.

On the WWE App, they replayed a post-match interview with Rybaxel from Payback.

After Cody Rhodes was pinned at Payback he said his brother needed a better tag team partner, so he hand chose Sin Cara to be Goldust’s partner in a match against Rybaxel. Rybaxel got the win with a pin on Sin Cara.

On the WWE App, Hornswoggle continued to lament the loss of his hair.

Next on WWE TV, Rusev received an award from the “Russian Federation” supposedly with the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin. I sat through the whole thing waiting for Big E to interfere, but, no. We seriously sat and watched him get a medal. So, for me, he’s either in prepackaged squash matches or stuff like that. Not liking it.

…Seriously? An event like that goes off on WWE TV without anarchy? Those types of events are like WWE weddings. There should never be an event like that without madness!

On the WWE App, Tom Philips interviewed Paige.

Back on TV everyone made their way to the ring for the Orton/Reigns match. With The Shield in the ring Orton and Triple H came down and said there was a Plan B and that he adapts better than anyone. The Shield are all standing around waiting for whatever Plan B is…then Seth Rollins hits Roman Reigns in the back with a chair. Dean Ambrose is in such shock that he just runs straight at Rollins and is taken down. Rollins then leaves the ring, hands a chair to Randy Orton who proceeds to make an example out of Roman Reigns.

We all knew they were going to have to break up at some point and this was a very surprising way to do it. Who knows maybe Rollins is fooling all of us. If Rollins will turn his back on The Shield, why does he not think he’d do it to Evolution?

A great show this week. This Saturday I will be attending a live WWE event in Las Cruces, New Mexico. No Kane but The Shield is scheduled to be there so I will have the pleasure of seeing this play out right in front of me.

]]>http://blogs.poughkeepsiejournal.com/underthering/2014/06/04/jackies-raw-roundup-61/feed/0House of Hardcore IV storyhttp://blogs.poughkeepsiejournal.com/underthering/2014/06/04/house-of-hardcore-iv-story/
http://blogs.poughkeepsiejournal.com/underthering/2014/06/04/house-of-hardcore-iv-story/#commentsWed, 04 Jun 2014 06:04:39 +0000http://blogs.poughkeepsiejournal.com/underthering/?p=3825House of Hardcore IV story is a post from: Under the Ring
]]>To read my story on House of Hardcore IV, click here.

This week’s show opened on Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Stephanie reiterated her point that despite Daniel Bryan’s heart of a champion, he’s a B+ player, unable to stand the bumps and bruises of the business, and should, in consideration of what’s best for business, relinquish the WWE World Heavyweight title. Triple H then turned the conversation to The Shield and Stephanie called out Raw general manager Brad Maddox about making Shield members Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose guest commentators last Monday during the main event. They brought out Brad Maddox, then Kane came out and chokeslammed, then tombstoned him. Then to add insult to injury, Stephanie fired him before they all left the ring together.

The first match of the evening is Rob Van Dam vs. Antonio Cesaro, showing off his new “King of Swing” shirt with the crown made famous by the King of the Ring logo.

During the commercial, we were taken back to the match via the WWE App.

Cesaro picks up the win thanks to a distraction by Bad News Barrett, who was on commentary. After the match, Cesaro’s opponent at Payback, Sheamus, made his way down to the ring and nearly decapitated Cesaro with a Brogue kick.

Backstage, The Rhodes Brothers were in Triple H’s office, upset that they haven’t had any action in the last two weeks. Orton and Batista heckled them about when Cody Rhodes was fired about a year ago. Triple H finally came in and made a tag match between the four men.

On the WWE App, Nikki Bella and Eva Marie talked a bit about Eva Marie’s upcoming match against Summer Rae.

Next was that match and when it looked like Summer Rae had an upper hand, Layla and Fandango came out and had a make out session which distracted Summer, allowing Eva Marie to get the win.

On the WWE App it was said that the next match is Drew Mcintyre vs….El Torito? Seriously?

Back on TV and it was indeed Drew Mcintyre vs. El Torito and it was a bit ridiculous. Thankfully it was over quickly and El Torito got the win. He was attacked by Hornswoggle after the match and he actually pulled El Torito’s tail off.

Back on TV, Bray Wyatt went on about John Cena but then called out Jerry Lawler and sent Harper and Rowan to get him. When JBL tried to defend him, he was attacked by Wyatt’s goons and they then dragged Lawler into the ring. Bray Wyatt tried to put the blame for what he sees as John Cena’s evils on Lawler because he puts Cena over every week. They made it clear, without so many words, that they were going to attack Lawler. Cena came out, but was overpowered by Harper and Rowan. Wyatt was going to put Lawler in the Sister Abagail while forcing Cena to watch, but The Usos came out and made the save.

On the WWE App, Zack Ryder was interviewed by Tom Phillips.

Back on TV, Ryder came out with an American flag and started to talk about Memorial Day when he was interrupted by Lana. That said that this was basically going to be a squash match between he and Rusev. So sick of squash matches and this guy. When Rusev got the win via submission, but wouldn’t break the hold, this prompted Big E to come down and send Rusev over the top rope and wave Ol’ Glory in Rusev and Lana’s face.

Next is the Rhodes Brothers vs. Randy Orton and Batista. Triple H said this would not be a regular match and it turned out to be an elimination match. Randy Orton pinned Cody Rhodes so it was then Goldust vs. Orton and Batista. Batista then got the final pin from Goldust.

On the WWE App, we flashed back to Bo Dallas’ debut in the WWE when he got a win over Sin Cara on Smackdown. Tonight on Raw it is again Bo Dallas vs. Sin Cara. Does this seem to anyone else like a set up for a brothers tag team?

On the WWE App, Damien Sandow was on and acted like an egocentric jerk. I loved it. He was dressed up like Davey Crockett and told off what was likely a production assistant.

Back on TV, Stephanie called out Daniel Bryan, who came out in a neck brace. He vehemently said that he was not going to give up his titles. Stephanie then showed Bryan what he didn’t see a few weeks ago; video of his wife, Brie Bella, shoving Stephanie as he was being put into an ambulance. She said that at Payback, he either vacates the titles, or Brie is fired.

Next was a match that was essentially a break ; Alicia Fox vs. Emma. I do not take Alicia Fox seriously at all, or this push. Emma picked up the win so Alicia had another tantrum over it. It was stupid. Alicia Fox has been a joke for years and she is still as much of a joke as she has always been. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This is why the Divas division is and likely will continue to be a joke. They at one point could have given us Beth Phoenix vs. Kharma and this garbage with Alicia Fox is what they choose to put on TV. Why is Natalya languishing on NXT while Alicia Fox is getting time to shake soda cans and spray them on people while screaming, “I am not a loser” on Raw?

Next was the debut match of Adam Rose against Damien “Davy Crockett” Sandow. Rose had the upper hand until Jack Swagger came out and he had the man in Rose’s entourage who was dressed like a lemon and was going to punch him. This was supposed to distract Rose but he still managed to get the win on Sandow. He was attacked by Swagger after the match, but let there be no mistake, Rose beat the hell out of Swagger screaming, “Nobody touches my lemon!”

On the WWE App. Paige made light of Fox’s tantrum and said there was no way she will win at Payback.

Next was Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio, which continued on the WWE App during the break. During the match Alberto Del Rio knocked down Sheamus and said, “get up.” So Sheamus did get up and ended up getting the win. Then Paul Heyman announced Sheamus as the winner in a not so flattering way and reminded Sheamus that it would be he vs. Cesaro at Payback.

Back from break, it was the contact signing between The Shield and Evolution. The Shield came down and said the idea of a contract signing is stupid, tore the ring up and started to sign it when Evolution came out. Triple H said that he found this sad as he remembered when he first signed The Shield and thought they were going to change the world. If they signed that contract and agreed to face Evolution, that would be the last time anyone would ever see them. He asked them one last time if they wanted to sign it. All three members of The Shield signed, threw the contract on the ground where Evolution was standing, then they all signed. Triple H started to say something but Roman Reigns interrupted him by saying, “get in the ring and fight.” It turned into a huge brawl that ended when Triple H found a sledgehammer. All three members of The Shield were laid out before Roman Reigns was triple powerbombed through the announce table.

Other than the Alicia Fox waste of TV time this was a good show. It’s good to see Bryan is recovering well and I got me some Kane.

The opening of the show…to be honest I missed having to detour on my way home due to an accident. But when I got home and turned on the TV, The Shield were laying down the law to Evolution when Triple H, Batista and Orton were shown arriving in the back. Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose took off after them and actually attacked Evolution in the parking area. We went to break as Triple H was in pain on the floor.

The first match of the night sees Rob Van Dam go up against Jack Swagger.

Zeb Colter came out and complained about what happened with Adam Rose last Monday, which prompted Rose to come out with his entourage. I don’t know about any of you but this isn’t anything but annoying to me. Anyway, this distracted Jack Swagger and RVD took him out with a kick to the face and a Five-star Frog Splash.

Next is Paige vs. Alicia Fox. I think Alicia Fox was trying to act “tough” by knocking Paige down then hitting her again when she tried to get up. I think that would have worked more if it would have been someone else. Anyone else. But I seem to remember Alicia Fox saying once that her biggest thing to prepare for at WrestleMania a few years ago was picking out a dress. I also remember her saying she was going to be the “undefined” WWE Divas champion. She’s always been sold as this giggly airhead and now we are expected to take her seriously when she shows “aggression” by taking a can of soda, shaking it and spraying people with it after losing to Paige. She then stole JBL’s hat and did…well the only thing she does, paraded off trying to be sexy.

On the WWE App, Fox sought out Stephanie McMahon and quit the WWE. Good. Adios.

Daniel Bryan then came out and talked about being the underdog in the WWE, how hard he’s worked to make it to be WWE Champion, and then announced he would be having neck surgery this week. He also said he did not know how long he would be out of action, that The Authority are all happy that he will be out and that he will be back no matter what.

Next is a rematch from last week’s SmackDown. The Usos and John Cena vs. The Wyatt Family. A lot of fun high flying from the Usos and John Cena picked up the win for his team via an attitude adjustment on Luke Harper. Wyatt then thanked Cena for showing him, “what he must do.” Ugh. Creepy.

Next Evolution made an appearance after being attacked backstage. Randy Orton talked about how he was tired of The Shield and Batista backed him. Triple H admitted he may have made a mistaken when he took The Shield under his wing and then talked about how he plans to take apart The Shield at WWE Payback. The Shield then attacked them from behind, and they vacated the ring. It was that quick. The saving grace of this segment was Batista making a match between himself and Roman Reigns.

Next is Natalya vs. Nikki Bella. This is apparently a “personal” match between Nikki and Natty stemming from Total Divas. Apparently, Natty painted a picture of Bella and her boyfriend John Cena…and Nikki didn’t like it. So Natty is ticked and they are having a match. The rest of the Total Divas cast was outside the ring holding up ratings card showing 1 – 10. Nikki eventually got the win and then Natty got mad and went after the other Total Divas outside the ring. This is girly drama and I don’t really do girly drama but I’m sure it’s working very well for those who do.

Next was WWE United States Champion Sheamus vs. Curtis Axel. Sheamus gets the submission via his cloverleaf. Ryback attacked Sheamus after the match and back from break it was then Sheamus vs. Ryback. Sheamus also got the win here via his Brogue Kick.

Next Stephanie McMahon came out and talked again about Daniel Bryan not being an “A+” player. That he has the heart of a champion but his body cannot hold up. She asked Daniel to come out as she had something to say to him. Instead of Bryan coming out, Kane’s pyro hit and he came out, dragging Bryan along the ground by his arm. Bryan’s face was all scratched up. Back after commercial, Bryan was being loaded into an ambulance. Stephanie apologized to Brie, who then shoved Stephanie and told her to stay away before getting into the ambulance. As the ambulance left, it was obvious that the shove ticked Stephanie off.

Next is Dolph Ziggler vs. Fandango. Ziggler picked up the win but Fandango was not upset. He said that Layla was much more valuable and that…he loves her. Ladies, a word; when you’ve been with a man for a month and he tells you he loves you…run.

“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan came out to promote Legends House when Lana and Rusev came down to the ring and gave Hacksaw one chance to “beg for mercy.” When it looked like Rusev was going to attack Rusev, Big E came out and was pretty much assaulted by Rusev, but the point of that was for Duggan to get away and he did. This feud could make for some awesome TV.

Next is Damien Sandow vs. Cody Rhodes…breaking open old wounds. Cody got the win with the Disaster Kick.

Back on TV, Bray Wyatt cut a promo on John Cena suggesting a Last Man Standing match at Payback.

The main event of Batista vs. Reigns didn’t get too far as it ended in a DQ when Triple H dragged Reigns outside the ring and attempted a Pedigree outside the ring. Stephanie, who was already in a mood, came out onto the stage and commanded most of the heel locker room to go help Triple H/attack The Shield. It ended with The Shield cleaning house with steel chairs.

WWE is putting The Shield pretty over as The Shield has come out on top for most of this feud. I wonder if this will continue at Payback?

This week’s show opened on a very somber John Cena. He was clearly resentful of the vote from last week where he was voted to face all three members of the Wyatt Family, asking “Why?”

After a few minutes you hear a child’s voice singing, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and the lights when down. When they came back up, there was a whole children’s choir singing. Led by The Wyatts, they made their way down and surrounded the ring. The lights went down again and when they came back up, all of the children in the choir were wearing the sheep masks. Creepy.

During the break on the WWE App, Michael Cole interviewed Paige about winning the WWE Diva’s title on the day after Wrestlemania XXX.

The first match of the evening is between The Usos and Rybaxel, for the Usos’ WWE tag team titles. During the break on the WWE App, Jey Usos hurt his leg. Jimmy was taking a beating while a doctor was tending to Jey outside. Jey got a second wind and helped Jimmy go on to get the win and retain the titles.

On the WWE App, Byron Saxton interviewed Titus O’Neil. Sheamus stepped in to make sure O’Neil remembered that he lost last week in their match. But, also, to let him know they were going to have a rematch tonight on Raw, and it would be next.

Backstage, Paul Heyman and Cesaro were talking about how Rob Van Dam second guessed Heyman last week.

There as a quick shot of Kane’s mask in the back and he wasn’t wearing it. Several times during the night, we went back to that shot and the mask was always there.

Back in the ringside area, Sheamus was making his way to the ring when he was blindsided by O’Neil. However, the match was ended by a well-placed Brogue kick very quickly.

On the WWE App, Xavier Woods talked about his upcoming match with Alexander Rusev.

Back on TV, Dolph Ziggler introduced the man who punched him square in the face a few years ago, Hugh Jackman. After he made his way down, Ziggler reminded Jackman of that fact that he squared Ziggler in the jaw.

What happened next….I don’t even know what to say.

Damien Sandow came out dressed like Magneto…kind of. Jackman made fun of his outfit, asking to touch Sandow’s cape. “Magento” managed to use his “powers” to get Jackman’s “mic” until Jackman gave him a hip toss and Ziggler finished him off. It was a great segment! Jackman does not disappointment.

Next was Jack Swagger with Zeb Colter vs. Antonio Cesaro with Paul Heyman. Cesaro got the win on Swagger when Heyman attacked Colter causing the distraction.

On the WWE App, Saxton interview the Rhodes Brothers.

Next, Cody Rhodes took on Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio picked up the win with his cross arm breaker. After the match, Rhodes again shoved Goldust who tried to help him on the way back to the back.

On the WWE App, Layla talked about what happened to Fandango last week.

Back on TV, Alexander Rusev took on Xavier Woods, who was disqualified when R-Truth got involved. This whole match was selling the handicap match between R-Truth and Xavier Woods vs. Rusev at Extreme Rules.

Backstage, Renee Young interviewed RVD talked about his match against Bad News Barrett to become number one contender for the Intercontential Title.

Next was 3MB vs. Los Matadores. Heath Slater picked up the win.

Stephanie McMahon came out and attempted to apologize to Daniel Bryan, but he was not having it. Stephanie tried to apologize by giving his new wife a shot at the Divas title against champion Paige.

After that, we went back to the shot of Kane’s mask backstage, which we learned during Stephanie’s apology, was in her office. However this time, his mask was gone.

On the WWE App, they replayed the interview with Paige from earlier tonight.

During the match, Bryan was always watching the ramp area. And he was wise to because eventually Kane’s pyro hit and his music started. But Bryan’s attention was in the wrong place as Kane came out fom under the ring and and tried to take Brie down. With some help from Daniel Bryan, a wrench and some well-placed kicks, she managed to get away.

On the WWE App, Zack Ryder reminisced about some of his times against Kane.

Back on TV, Stephanie went back to the doctor’s office, almost crying, to check on Daniel and Brie. Stephanie was blubbering out apologies, unsure of what to say. Brie insulted her with strong language and told her to get out. Stephanie apologized one more time and left.

Backstage, Colter approached RVD to present an alliance against Heyman. Van Dam said thanks but no thanks.

Backstage Cena was interviewed by Renee Young and seemed to have bounced back from his earlier mood.

Next is Barrett vs. RVD for the No. 1 contendership to the IC title.

On the WWE App, Renee Young interviewed Big E about the upcoming match.

Barrett picked up the win via the Bullhammer after a distraction by Cesaro. I’m not sure why since RVD declined to align with Colter against Paul Heyman…but OK.

The final match was Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton.

Ric Flair came out and actually endorsed The Shield over Evolution. It was uncomfortable to say the least.

There isn’t much to say about the match as it ended in a typical DQ.

Does anyone else notice the closing matches end this way lately? DQ, brawling and no clear winner?! Ah well. Maybe next week.

This week’s show was supposed to start on a high note with the return of WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Bryan. However, with the sad happenstance of his father passing away, it was a bit more somber than expected.

After Bryan came out, Stephanie McMahon came out and “congratulated” Daniel on winning the WWE championship, getting married to Brie Bella, and finally announced that he would defend his WWE title against Kane at Extreme Rules. She also urged Daniel to keep Brie out of harm’s way right before Kane came out and annihilated Bryan, finally tombstoning him on the floor and then, the steel steps. The EMTs put Bryan on a backboard to stabilize him and Kane then came back and tombstoned him again, this time through the announce table. While all this is going on, Stephanie screamed at Kane to stop. Anyone else buyin’ that?

The first match of the evening is a semifinal match in the Intercontential Championship tourney. It’s Bad News Barrett vs. Sheamus. Barrett gets the win with the Bullhammer.

Next it was announced that Cena will face either Luke Harper, Harper and Erick Rowan or all three of the Wyatts. It will be decided via a WWE App vote. Bray gave a speech to rile people up to vote a certain way.

Next is 3MB (Drew McInytre, Jinder Mahal and Hornswoggle) vs. Los Matadores and El Torito. Los Matadores and El Torito get the win.

Backstage, Evolution arrived in a limo.

On the WWE App Dolph Ziggler addressed Damien Sandow calling him a leech and saying he rides on others coattails.

After the commercial, Evolution made their way to the ring. After a video showing Evolution was shown, The Shield came down and Evolution split. Dean Ambrose said they were not humbled and that it was going to be war, in two weeks, at Extreme Rules. The Shield made their way up to the stage to attack Evolution when all of the same guys from last came out and got in between them. Needless to say, The Shield did not get their hands on the COO.

Next is The Usos vs. The Rhodes Brothers, who were interviewed by Byron Saxton on the WWE App. Rybaxel were, sadly, on commentary. With that I was hoping it’d be a short match. Eventually The Usos got the win and an upset Cody Rhodes shoved his brother Goldust away from him in frustration after he was pinned.

On the WWE App, Saxton interviewed Emma who is taking on Layla back on the USA Network. Emma actually got the win by pulling out her own pink cobra and striking Layla.

On the WWE App Saxton interviewed Big E who, when asked the ongoing tourney for his IC title, said, “Set them up and I’ll knock them down.”

Backstage, John Cena said he’s prepared to face all three members of The Wyatts if the vote comes out that way.

Next is Cesaro vs. Rob Van Dam in the final semifinal match in the IC tournament. RVD advanced via count out when Jack Swagger provided the distraction.

Backstage, Renee Young interviwed RVD about his win but they were interrupted by Paul Heyman amd Cesaro.

Next is Paige vs. Aksana. You know, I never realized how orange Aksana is until I saw her stand next to Paige. Anyway, Paige went to on to get the win via submission.

Next is a squash match with Alexander Rusev vs. Sin Cara. Rusev obviously takes the win.

On the WWE App, R-Truth and Xavier Woods talked about their upcoming handicap match against Rusev at Extreme Rules.

Aftet the break, it was announced that John Cena will be facing all three members of The Wyatts.

After a few words from Paige about being Divas champion on the WWE App, we went back to Cena’s match. The Wyatts pretty much pummeled Cena for most of the match, but it ended by DQ in Cena’s favor when all three men jumped Cena at the same time.

Super Cena pulls another one out and I’ll bet a lot of you are happy to see the return of Masked Kane. Personally, I will miss him wrestling in black slacks and no shirt…but such as life.

WWE opened its show this week with a tribute to the Ultimate Warrior who, according to the Augusta Free Press, died as a result of heart disease and other natural causes this past Tuesday. The entire locker room, including Vince McMahon, was standing on the stage as WWE showed another one its incredible video packages.

The first match of the night will be Rob Van Dam vs. Alberto Del Rio in what is a tournament to decide who will face current WWE Intercontinental Champion, Big E. Does anyone else feel like this is set up for Cesaro?

Backstage, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H pulled Randy Orton and Batista to their office to discuss The Shield and the fact that they should ban together to defeat them. Batista and Orton both told him he was on his own.

We were also taken back to SummerSlam when Warrior defeated Honky Tonk Man to capture the WWE Intercontinental title in an unheard of 31 seconds.

Next was Rybaxel vs. The Rhodes Brothers. Rybaxel picked up the win.

The new WWE Divas champion, Paige, came down for her first match as champ, against Alicia Fox. She picked up the win with the Ram-Paige.

On the WWE App, The Usos talked about their upcoming match against Randy Orton and Batista.

That match ended in a DQ for The Usos, believe it or not, when The Shield came in through the crowd and attacked Randy Orton. I hate it when matches end this way. Just because The Shield are faces won’t make it any less annoying for me personally when Roman Reigns continues to do nothing but his spear, power bomb he must have his friend help him complete, and his superman punch. Congrats Reigns, you are only two moves away from meeting John Cena at having “five moves of doom.”

The next Warrior moment was Wrestlemania VI when he beat Hulk Hogan for the WWE Title. Winning this match saw him holding the Intercontinental AND WWE title.

On the WWE App, they showed parts of Alexander Rusev’s matches against Zack Ryder on Monday, and against Sin Cara on Tuesday’s Main Event.

Backstage, Stephanie and Triple H both, for a quick, smirky moment, approached Orton and Batista to rub it in that they could have been supported each other, but they chose to go it on their own and they were attacked.

After that, Paul Heyman spent 5 minutes reminding everyone that Brock Lesnar broke The Streak. Everyone knows this so I wasn’t sure why he was doing this, but ultimately it was to push Antonio Cesaro in his match in the tournament against Mark Henry. I can’t help but notice that Cesaro was wearing a sequined coat like the man who REALLY is the greatest manager of all time, Bobby Heenan, no matter what people will tell you about Paul Heyman. Cesaro picked up the win over Mark Henry.

Backstage, Triple H and Stephanie asked Monday Night Raw general manager Brad Maddox to find The Shield and tell them they were wrestling in the main event tonight, but they were not going to know who they were facing.

Next is another match with Alexander Rusev. This time against Xavier Woods. It was another squash match. Is it just me or do this matches have the opposite effect they are supposed to? It’s obvious when a match is set up as a squash match and that’s about when they lose my attention. Want to impress me? Put Rusev in a match with John Cena or Triple H.

On the WWE App, they speculated on who would win tonight’s tournament.

The next Warrior moment SummerSlam 1990 when he faced “Ravishing” Rick Rude in a steel cage match where he defended his WWF title, and won.

Next was Jack Swagger vs. Sheamus. Sheamus picked up the win with the Brogue Kick which is amazing considering the amount of time he spent in Swagger’s Ankle Lock during the match.

On the WWE App, Nikki Bella talked about the Brie Bella/Daniel Bryan wedding. She said Daniel Bryan doesn’t like hugs, which makes his Team Hell No storyline all the funnier. Who doesn’t like hugs? Who doesn’t like hugs from Kane? I’d LOVE a hug from Kane!

Next is Big Show vs. Daniel Sandow. Sandow was whining and thankfully Show stopped the bleeding quickly. So quickly the match didn’t even start. One punch to the mouth was all it took.

On the WWE App, Santino and Emma talked about their upcoming mixed tag team match against Fandango and Layla.

Next was another Bray Wyatt’s promos. I know that sounds really, downplayed. But you can pretty much imagine what he said when you hear, “Bray Wyatt cut a promo.” Cena then came out and did some pretty funny stuff to his credit and a match was made. Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena in a steel cage at Extreme Rules.

On the WWE App there was an unusual interview where Fandango said his new girlfriend, Layla, smells like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Umm…k.

Back on TV was the aforementioned mixed gender match. Layla got the win when she slammed Emma onto the mat from the top rope and got the pin.

After that, Stephanie was reading Kane the riot act. She was trying to work him up to being the Big Red Machine again. She should have smacked him!!! Anyway, he got worked up and almost hit her, but she smiled. She was working him up and it worked! He grabbed his mask, said he was going to eviscerate Daniel Bryan and walked off. LOVED IT!

Next is Dolph Ziggler vs. Bad News Barrett. We saw a bit of this match on the WWE App during the break but it was ultimately Barrett who got the win. Great match overall, though.

The final match of the night was The Shield against…well we didn’t know at this point. First, out came Alberto Del Rio, then Jack Swagger and finally Fandango. Wait, then there was 3MB, Titus O’Neil, Rybaxel, Alexander Rusev, Bad News Barrett…and then finally they all stormed the ring. The problem is they were all afraid, at first, to get even on the apron. Once they did, The Shield smartly retreated into their corner. It started out as Heath Slater against Roman Reigns. 11 on three. Wow!

The match ended when, shockingly, Roman Reigns speared someone on the opposite team when he was not the legal man. The match ended in this huge in ring brawl that left The Shield layed out in the middle of the ring. With that, Randy Orton, Triple H and Batista came out to the Evolution music as the 11 men in the ring cleared out leaving just The Shield in the ring, still down. Roman Reigns tried to attack Triple H as he beat on Seth Rollins, but frankly, he didn’t get the opportunity to get that spear, power bomb…or any other of his three moves of doom. We went to black with Evolution standing triumphantly in the ring.

Daniel Bryan was not on this week’s show due to his honeymoon with Brie Bella. With Kane’s apparent change, and also, just because it’s the return of Daniel Bryan frankly, I expect it should be a heck of a show.

]]>I was busy doing stuff late Tuesday and I got stopped in my tracks. A WWE press release popped up in my email announcing that Ultimate Warrior died.

Warrior, who recently returned to WWE, had a new DVD about his career produced, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Saturday, appeared at WrestleMania XXX, and spoke just Monday on Raw.

After years of fighting, years of hard feelings, and years of doubt that Warrior would ever again step into a WWE ring again, he did. He got to talk to many of the people he had problems with in the past, including Vince McMahon, and got the chance to address all his fans one last time.

Warrior, whose birth name was James Hellwig, but who changed his name legally to Warrior for copyright reasons, was 54 and is survived by his wife Dana and his two daughters, who sat in the front row at Warrior’s Hall of Fame induction.

“WWE is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of the most iconic WWE Superstars ever, The Ultimate Warrior,” WWE said in a statement. “Warrior began his WWE career in 1987 and quickly went on to become one of the biggest stars in WWE history. Warrior became WWE Champion at WrestleMania VI, defeating Hulk Hogan in an epic encounter. We are grateful that just days ago, Warrior had the opportunity to take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame and was able to appear at WrestleMania 30 and Monday Night Raw to address his legions of fans. WWE sends its sincere condolences to Warrior’s family, friends and fans. Warrior was 54 and is survived by his wife Dana and his two daughters.”

“We are all so sad that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away,” WWE Chairman Vince McMahon said on Twitter. “Our heart is with his wife Dana and his two daughters.”